Camp Kilmer, New Jersey

February 13, 1945

In 1941 the War Department selected the New
Brunswick area as the best site for a staging area to
serve the port of New York. Construction was started in
January 1942, and Camp Kilmer was officially opened in
June of that year.

The post is located two miles east of New Brunswick, an
industrial city of (at the time) 38,768 people; 30 miles
south of New York; and 55 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
Camp Kilmer is locate near US Route 1, the Garden State
Parkway, and the New Jersey Turnpike; and has railroad
tracks leading to the PA Railroad, Lehigh Valley Railroad,
and the Reading Railroad.

During WWII, the camp was the main staging area for the
principle ports on the Eastern Seaboard; more than 20
divisions staged through this post on their way to Europe.
In the Fall of 1949, Camp Kilmer was placed in an inactive
status, and the Personnel Center activities transferred to
Fort Dix. With the onset of hostilities in Korea, Camp
Kilmer was reactivated in the Fall of 1950. Section V,
Department of the Army General Order 20, dated 11 March
1955, reverted Camp Kilmer back to an inactive status,
effective 30 June 1955.

Although Camp Kilmer has been in an inactive status since
June 1955, much activity has occurred since that time. In
November 1956, Operation Mercy was initiated as a project
designed to process the Hungarian refugees. This project
remained in effect until June 1957. In March 1958,
Headquarters II US Army Corps (Reserve) moved onto the
post.

Camp Kilmer is spread over 1,573 acres of land and
contains 1,230 numbered buildings and structures,
including one complete hospital, one Dental Clinic, one
Commissary, one Meat-Cutting Plant, one Cold Storage Plan,
four Fire Stations, ten consolidated Mess Halls, and four
Theaters are mothballed. There are 29.9 miles of hard
surface roads throughout the camp plus 1 mile of unpaved
road. Not all of these roads are in general use as
inactive areas have been declared Restricted in the
interests of security and fire prevention.

The Commanding General of the US Army Garrison, Camp
Kilmer, is responsible for the command, training and
operations of First US Army units and activities assigned
to Camp Kilmer, the preparation, coordination, and
implementation, as directed, of plans with other agencies
which include Air Raid, Domestic Emergency, Civil Defense,
Mobilization, and Local Defense, and the providing of
logistical and administrative support, within existing
facilities, to First US Army units and activities located
at Camp Kilmer, including support of training exercises as
directed by the Commanding General First United States
Army.

In the interest of economy and efficiency, the
Headquarters Detachment, II US Army Corps was attached to
the US Army Garrison on 13 August 1958. Under the
supervision of the Deputy Post.